In a message that was up for about 16 hours but has since been deleted, Ayanbadejo described Baltimore as a "violent city" and referred to a violent incident "at a club last weekend with 10 Ravens in the building. Scary."

The message was an apparent reference to a shooting outside Club Mirage, across from the Hippodrome Theater, where two people were shot at about 1 a.m. Monday. (Police did not report any other shootings near clubs last weekend.)

No one died, but the intended target in the shooting is critically injured, police said. Police officials have said they plan to meet with the club to discuss security, though they did not fault the club, saying the incident happened outside and involved a victim who had not yet entered.

Ayanbadejo, who could not immediately be reached for comment, was discussing the need for tighter gun control laws when the comment was made. The special teams player is no stranger to political issues, having become an outspoken advocate for gay marriage. A state delegate sent a letter to the team recently, attempting to silence him on the topic.

He tweeted that "gun laws need to be a lot more strict," and a follower responded that the violence in Baltimore among youth made a compelling argument for more regulation. That's when he remarked that players were at a club where a shooting occurred.

Later, he said, "Yeah this country was founded on right to bear arms. When a gun took 30 seconds to load not 30 bullets in a second. Also founded on slavery. Times change," he wrote.

City police plan to meet with management of a downtown club after two people waiting in line were shot early Monday — a shooting that capped a violent weekend in Baltimore and has revived discussions about security around city bars and clubs.